Vic stretched her limbs to their limits as she languished in the waters of her personal hot spring, watching the steam rise listlessly into the air to meet the stars. She reached up with every intention to pluck one from the sky but quickly lost the childish will to do so. 

She turned her head down to the waters and waited until the ripples settled. She saw not her reflection first, but her horns. A stark reminder of her demonic heritage. With a single swipe, she struck the water to disturb the image and had enough bathing for one night.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Today was a slow day for the Royal Cassun. Many of the guests that had arrived in the morning have already left, taking temporary shelter during the midday downpour. Since the rain let up earlier than expected, nearly all of their rooms became vacant by sundown.

Strangely enough, they also had no VIPs today. Not one.

Regardless, Vic and the others didn't mind. It meant that they were free to lounge around. Outside, Deena and Piper were helping fix a wagon that had broken down just outside of the establishment. 

"Whew!" Deena wiped the sweat from her brow. "That was a lot more work than I thought."

"Oh, thank you so much." An elderly human couple shook Deena and Piper's hands.

"Take care! Safe journeys!" Piper continued to wave enthusiastically even as the horses pulled the wagon out of view.

"Yo, Captain! What brings you out here?"

"Just seeing how you two were doing."

"That was the last of the wagons to leave. We can close the gates now."

"Sounds good. Let's shut the gates and grab some dinner. Piper?"

"Roger!"

Piper climbed onto the small watchtower that overlooked the northern pass and pulled a lever. The iron gates pulsed with bluish energy and began to shut. 

"W-wait!!!"

"The three of them stopped in their tracks. Piper peered over the watchtower to see a hooded man rushing towards the closing gate.

"Vic, one more guest for the night!"

Piper reversed the lever long enough for the man to pass through before completely closing.

"Ahh… haa… haaa… thank you… for letting me in." The man keeled over out of breath. He pulled his hood over, revealing bronze skin and long, pointed ears.

Piper climbed down the watchtower and gasped as soon as she saw him. "A d-dark elf…"

"Like you? Yes, I am. I see the rumors of a dark elf this far south is true." The dark elf man spoke with apparent curiosity.

"All travelers are treated the same here as long as you have coin. Name?"

"Right. Ah, Theradis Slain. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Room for one night?"

"The… proprietress, Vic? I would like the entire second floor."

"What?!" Deena said choking on her own spit.

"I believe this letter addressed to you will explain."

Vic unraveled the scroll and read it aloud.

I, <Redacted>, have sent ahead my steward, Theradis Slain, to procure a suitable room and board for a single night's stay at the Royal Cassun. Said room shall have its floor completely vacated of any patrons except myself, <redacted>, and my steward. I, <redacted>, have prepared a more than adequate compensation for any inconvenience this may cause the Royal Cassun.

Signed,

<Redacted, The <redacted>

"No matter how you look at this, that's shady as hell." Deena squinted at the scroll's contents, making sure she didn't misunderstand it the first time. "First of all, who the hell is Redacted?"

"That just means the name was removed." 

"He mentioned himself three times. And look down here at the signature. He clearly has a title that was removed, too."

"Piper, can you reverse the erasures?"

Theradis started, "She can do that?! Er, I mean, my… my master would like to remain anonymous…!"

Piper studied the scroll and shook her head, "It must have been written half a day ago."

Vic felt a sudden urge to gag. She had no idea where the sensation came from, but it was a powerful one. "I can't promise a room to someone unwilling to name themselves. Especially if it is a request for the entire floor. There could be other guests arriving tomorrow interested in the VIP suites— "

"Oh, no worries. My master made sure of that… er."

"Hah? Mind explaining yourself, Mister?" Deena towered over the dark elf.

"My-my-my master is a very secretive and private individual! He merely wishes his identity not be known until he arrives tomorrow."

Vic studied the elf, and then said, "We have a succubus. We could simply charm the answers out of you."

"PLEASE, WAIT!" Theradis looked desperate now and procured five gold ingots from his knapsack.

"G-g-g-gold…?!" Deena's eyes sparkled.

"Hey, snap out of it." Vic gave the half-dragon's cheeks a light slap.

"Hwa?" She wiped the drool from her lips, "Sorry! My inner dragon's blood took over. I'm in control!"

"Ooh!! I've never seen gold this pure before!" Piper's ears twitched with joy as she looked at the ingots.

"Right? We dark elves do have a talent for appraisals. What do you think the percentage of purity of these ingots are?"

Piper brought her face closer until her eyes reflected off the bars' surface. "99.8%!"

"That's correct, young lady! Very astute. You'll not find purer gold than this right here."

"C-c-captain." Deena began, "I really want them!"

"No."

"Just one?! I beg you! I'll be a good hot springs worker from now on!"

"What do you mean from now on?!"

"I'm begging you! I'll do anything! Please?" Deena dropped to her knees now. A fire flickered in her eyes.

Vic heaved a sigh. 

Dragons. She thought. 

While Vic was doing her best suppressing her inner demonic instincts, Deena was letting hers run wild. Even though she was only a half-dragon, their kind's irrational desire to hoard material wealth was second only to their true blood ancestors.

"Fine."

"YAY!!!!"

"You only keep one. We're sending the rest back to the capital."

"Thank you! I love you, Captain!" Deena latched onto Vic's legs brimming with excitement.

"Get up. We're in front of a guest!"

"Does this mean…?"

"Yes. We accept. Fortunately for you, the second floor had no guests today." Vic grimaced, "I suppose that was your master's doing, too?"

"Ahah…"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

"Now then, I shall begin inspection of the second floor and make adjustments as I see fit."

Theradis made his way upstairs as Taisha descended from it.

"I thought we had no VIP arrivals?"

"This was a last minute booking. For the entirety of the second floor."

"You're… joking?"

"Nope! They paid handsomely for it, too. Ahehehe…" Deena said, cradling the gold ingot like a baby.

"Five gold ingots. As pure as the Darcien crown."

"Who is it?"

"We'll find out tomorrow." Vic scratched her horn, "I expect everyone to be on their best. Taisha, work alongside Theradis Slain to make sure our guest wants for nothing. We may still receive dignitaries and nobility, but we can only book them a room on the first floor. Which means…"

"I won't be on the floor, tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Piper. Take a break instead."

"But I like working with everyone…"

"How about she join me in working the top floor, instead?" Taisha offered.

"I…" Vic was hesitant.

The VIP guest they were receiving tomorrow has a dark elf under their employ. Granted, Theradis wasn't dressed a slave so maybe this master of his isn't so bad.

"What do you think, Piper?"

"If Vic doesn't want me to do it, I won't."

Vic shook her head, "This is your decision. Would you like to work with Taisha in the VIP suite tomorrow?"

Piper shifted uncomfortably in place and then nodded. "I do kind of want to ask Mr. Theradis some questions."

"Meeting another dark elf in Cassun is a rare opportunity..."

 Taisha hugged Piper from behind. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her and our VIP."

"Very well. Get a good night's rest and be ready to serve our VIP five gold ingots worth of service tomorrow!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Vic found herself sprinting across a sea of fire. The smell of burnt flesh and charred pine permeated the air and exacerbated the headache at the base of her horns. 

She was running on all fours, teeth bared, foaming at the mouth. Any hint of intelligence in the Vic of the Royal Cassun was nowhere to be found in those bloodshot, bestial eyes. 

At some point she stopped running and stood upon a mountain of corpses, each marred with the same horrified expression. Humans, dwarves, orcs, goblins, elves of indiscernible color, and even demonkin.

This was not a battlefield. It was her throne.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Vic awoke from the nightmare catching her breath, beads of cold sweat streaked down her face. She felt around the bed to make sure her surroundings were real.

"So much for sleep."

She looked around her room and having found no interest to stay, left. 

Knock. Knock. 

"Taisha?" Vic whispered as quietly as possible.

The door promptly opened and from the other side. "I thought we weren't due for another few days?"

"Shut up and hold me."

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Vic awoke a second time, but under the morning glare and two cerulean eyes staring down at her.

"You're creepy."

"How could I wake such a blissful expression?" Taisha said as she continued to stroke Vic's hair.

"What time is it?"

"Still early. Theradis has everything he needs and the girls are servicing the guest quarters."

"Good."

"Deena is quite taken with the gold ingot you let her keep."

"She's lucky hoarding is a harmless instinct."

"Dreams, again?"

"I don't know why they keep coming back. No warning, no reason. It just happens."

"If it keeps bringing you to me in the middle of the night, I don't mind."

Vic slugged Taisha in the arm and the two of them hopped out of bed to get ready for work.

The staff of the Royal Cassun gathered in the basement for their briefing. Today would not be a normal day. They were about to face their greatest trial yet. Especially Vic.

"Theradis has informed me moments ago that our special VIP will be arriving within the next hour. We know nothing about him, his status, nor background. All we know is that he is very secretive and extremely wealthy."

"Like filthy rich."

"The two of them will be occupying the second floor until tomorrow morning. During that time, Taisha and Piper are in charge of taking care of our guests upstairs. Deena and I will be handling the guests on the first floor. 

"Maybe if you two do a real good job, there's more gold in it for us?"

"Deena."

"Sorry!"

"Piper, if at any point you don't want to be up there, let me know."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do my best not to disappoint!"

"Good girl." Vic flashed a smile and then returned to her usual stone demeanor. "Show this secret VIP we are more than just hot springs workers! Dismissed!"

"Understood!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Piper took another look around the VIP suite where their guest will be staying. It was the largest of the eight suites, built along the west side of the Royal Cassun to offer a beautiful view of the canyon's sheer cliffs.

The room itself was incredibly spacious, and for the young dark elf she felt insignificantly small just being there. The excessive opulence of the room and its furnishings made the scars on her back pulsed with pain. It reminded her of her old master. A time from when she was a slave.

"Piper!" Taisha called from the hallway. "It's time to meet our client!"

"Coming!"

Piper raced downstairs to the courtyard where the staff of the Royal Cassun awaited. She took her place beside Taisha.

"Any moment now." Theradis said with evident delight.

As they waited in silence, Piper couldn't help but glance towards the gate. Vic tried to shake away the chilling sensation climbing up her spine.

Suddenly, the skies roared.

No, not the sky. For it was a clear day with sparse clouds.

All heads turned towards the gate as the roar sounded again. In its approach, the bellowing became clear. It was the sound of dreadsteads. Two fiery equine beasts hauling an obsidian carriage charged past the gates, leaving scorched ground in its path. Both the beasts and the carriage groaned to a halt in front of the establishment.

It was at that moment Vic came to the dreaded realization of who it was that arrived at the Royal Cassun. The itching feeling at the back of her mind, the identity of the man within the carriage...

Theradis rushed to the carriage. "Allow me to introduce—"

"VIIICCCCTTTOOOORRRRIIIIIAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The door flung open, knocking Theradis to the ground, and out comes flying a rather large, horned man diving straight for the staff of the Royal Cassun.

"You… " Vic's nose flared, her eyes red with anger. She lifted a trembling fist at who was to be their guest...

"MY SWEET, ADORABLE, LITTLE— PWWOOAAAH!"

"SHITTY OLD MAN!"

...And slugged him into the ground.

"…d-daughter…"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

"Eh?? Your father is the Demon King?!" Deena and Piper both exclaimed at once.

"Taisha, you don't seem surprised at all."

"The perks of having known Vic the longest."

Everyone had gathered in the VIP suite. An awkward tension filled the air.

"It's true… I'm his… urk— daughter."

"Don't vomit identifying yourself as my daughter! I came all this way to see you! Aren't you happy to see me at all?" The Demon King asked through a bruised cheek.

"No."

"So harsh and brief, and filled with malice! This must be what they call tsun—"

Vic raised a fist. "Your other cheek is looking a little soft."

Taisha leaned in to Vic and whispered as softly as she could, "Does he know… about the Royal Cassun?"

"He shouldn't, but don't let your guard down."

"Wait, so does this mean you're royalty?"

"Well…"

"And if you're royalty, you must be filthy, stinking rich!"

"I'm not rich. This old guy is."

"Not just some old guy. Your father!"

Vic groaned.

"But by extension..."

"My lineage has a rather complicated background."

Taisha poured tea for everyone, and when she had reached the Demon King she asked, "What brings the esteemed King of Demons to the Royal Cassun?"

"Yeah, why are you here?"

"Is it so hard to believe that I came to see my little girl?"

"Yes."

"It's true! But it isn't the only reason." The Demon King sipped from the teacup and nodded approvingly, "Allow me to introduce myself. Victor Luciferon, Demon King of all demonkin and half-demons, emperor-regent of the Empire of Orcus."

"You're the emperor of Orcus?!" Deena exclaimed.

"Acting emperor. There are a number of us that wish to do away with old political structure. My position is a temporary one."

"I recall Orcus is currently in the crisis of a civil war?"

"Yes, my opponents who wish to preserve our imperial traditions. Very well informed, Succubus. Taisha, was it?"

"At your service, my lord."

"The previous Demon King, my late father, started a foolish war. In death, he still has many devoted generals who seek to carry out his vision of a world ruled by demonkin. The common folk of Orcus tired are of war. You all should know, your kingdom is made up of such refugees who fled south."

"Has the new Demon King come to reclaim its people?"

"Quite the opposite. I have come to Cassun in secret to seek an audience with your king to recognize its sovereignty and secure an alliance."

Vic jumped from her seat. "Are you serious?"

"By now you must have realized, the number of foreign diplomats entering Cassun is not for the sake of sightseeing. It's a political move against those still loyal to the late Demon King."

The room suddenly felt suffocating. This should have been good news for Vic. No, it was good news. For her, Cassun, and for her squad.

"The hell… now you decide to be responsible?" Vic stormed out of the room.

Taisha's body moved to follow her, but she decided against it. "Deena, I believe you have work to do downstairs."

"Leave it to me!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Deena made her way to the basement where Vic was preparing to make lunch.

"Perfect timing." She said without turning her head, "Hand me the mushrooms with purple dots on them."

"You're making food for the guests?"

"I'm starting with my old man."

"Ooh. Watcha making."

"A surprise. Next is a mandrake root and two venom glands from a bush viper."

"Mandrake and… I can't find any— are you trying to poison the Demon King?!"

"Is that bad?"

"I get you don't like your father but… poison?"

"You're right. I have to take him out the old-fashioned way." Vic pulled out two jagged short swords. "Rend and Flay, time to reacquaint yourselves with dear old dad."

"Whoa, okay! Let's just put those bad boys away and concentrate on making some normal food. Your father will only be here for a day. Just do what you normally do, and he'll be out of your hair by tomorrow."

"Fine." Vic sheathed her blades and turned her attention back to the poisoned meal preparation.

"Normal food!" Deena said, taking away the platter and emptying it into the trash bin.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Meanwhile upstairs…

"Bwahahahaha! I still remember when I lost six year old Victoria in the Darcien woods. Fortunately, she managed to find her way back, but she was all bloodied, hair a mess, and just plain angry!"

Taisha and Piper listened with their poker faces. For the past hour, the Demon King had been telling stories of his daughter's childhood.

"I've learned more about Vic in one hour than the seven years I've known her."

"Growing up as a dark elf, we're told tales of terrifying demon kings. This one is a lot more jolly than the stories."

"If it weren't for the horns, you couldn't tell they were related."

"Ahaha… and I'm starting to see why Captain acts the way she does."

"Hm? Captain? What a strange way to refer to your boss."

"Ah—"

"It's merely pretense. Vic has a way of drawing us together despite our varied backgrounds. We respect her a lot, much like sailors respecting their ship's captain."

"I imagine you girls have plenty of stories about Victoria yourself?"

"Surely not as many as you."

"Come on, you can tell me. I haven't seen her in ages! I'd like to know what she's been up to."

The girls both looked at each other apprehensively and simultaneously thought back to their academy days. Wordlessly, they nodded in agreement those stories were best kept secret.

"What would you like to know?"

"For starters, how did the Royal Cassun come to be?"

"That's… a bit of a long story."

"I'll be here all day!"

"H-how about we tell you the story of how Vic fought off a tribe of orcs that took residence in our establishment?"

"Oooh! She always was a fighter!"

"It was the middle of winter, and I suppose much of the wildlife in the canyon and forests had migrated elsewhere. The orcs, looking for game to hunt stumbled upon the Royal Cassun. They had little in the way of pay, but we provided them food and an opportunity to bathe in our springs."

"I remember! They liked it so much they decided to stay. They scared a lot of the guests away and since they weren't paying, Vic got really angry."

"She was more than angry, she was furious. Vic used Legion to drag all of them over the edge of the cliff and had them each swear never to return before letting them go."

"That sounds tamed for my little girl…"

"No, she quite literally let them go. Over the cliffside to their deaths."

"O-oh… That's my daughter alright..."

"Her demonic heritage got the better of her, but that was when we first started working here. She's doing better these days."

"Vic is actually really nice! She's always helping me when I'm in trouble. I really owe her a lot."

"I see! Victoria must be a good master to you then, lass!"

"Um… I'm… not…" Piper lowered her head with tears welling up around her eyes.

"You are mistaken, my lord. Piper is not a slave, nor is Vic a master of the sort."

"She's not?! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…!"

The door swings open, and standing before them holding a plate of food is none other than Vic.

"I brought you—" Vic scanned the room and saw only two things: Her shitty father apologizing and a teary-eyed Piper.

"Excuse me." Vic disappeared, and returned a moment later with Rend and Flay."

"Eh? Ehh?!?! Victoria, it's not what you think!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

"Sheesh. I thought he had done something to upset you."

Vic and Piper were bathing together in one of their private hot spring quarters.

"He didn't do anything wrong! Everyone always has that impression of us."

"Well, he shouldn't have made that assumption to begin with."

"I think you have a really good father! He told us a lot of stories about when you were younger."

"Did he? I guess I owe one when I get out."

"Listening to some of his stories kind of makes me jealous. It sounded like you had a great family. What happened?"

"Bet he didn't tell you the story of how he sent me and my mother away? How we— I was left all alone? Ugh. Just thinking about it makes my horns ache."

"I didn't know… but why?"

"Sorry, Piper. I don't want to talk about it." Vic placed a hand on Piper's damp head. "We're family now. You can count on me never leaving your side."

"Hehe. Taisha and Deena, too. Escaping Orcus and finding you three here changed my life."

"I'm glad." Vic pondered that statement, and then asked, "Did you get a chance to talk with Theradis?"

"Oh! No, I didn't. It was just your father talking the whole time we were up there."

"Of course…"

Behind them, the doors slid open.

"Taisha, is that you?"

"VICTORIA! PAPA IS HERE! LET'S BATHE TOGETHER LIKE OLD TIMES!"

"GET OUT OF HERE YOU SHITTY OLD MAN!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

"Deena, I don't see the dinner order for room 31."

"Ahh, that corner room again. Sorry! It slipped my mind."

"No worries. I'll go ask them now."

Vic made her way upstairs to see a large crowd gathered in the lobby.

"What the…"

"She used to get her horns stuck on all sorts of things! This one time, she was climbing up a tree and her horn got caught on the branch. She was hanging on by her horn screaming, 'PAPA! HEEEEELLLPPP!' bwahahaha!"

The crowd cleared the way as Vic was stomping up to her father.

"Oh, there she is! The proprietress, my little girl!"

"What happened to being secretive?!"

"You worry too much! We're all just enjoying a good time right out of the bath. So, who would like to hear Victoria's first hunt?"

The audience let out a unanimous yes, but Vic wasn't having any of it.

"Get… up...stairs!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

"Mr. Theradis!"

"Oh, Piper? How can I help you?"

Theradis was picking up after the Demon Lord had made a mess of the suite. It puzzled Piper that he looked so content doing so, being the slave that he was.

"I was wondering if you needed any help?"

"In that case… help me move this table. Master has quite a large body, so he will need a more open space."

The two of them lifted the table to the corner of the room. It was mostly Theradis lifting, and Piper had a hard time keeping the table leveled as she moved.

"Today was exceptionally wonderful. It's been such a long time since I've seen Master filled with laughter."

Piper glanced around the room, unsure how to approach Theradis with her questions.

"Something on your mind?"

"I wanted to ask… Are you really still a slave? Even after the dark elves were granted freedom?"

"I see this topic bothers you. Even the mere mention of it earlier brought you to tears."

"..." She suddenly felt ashamed of asking.

"I am a slave in name only, but I have never been treated more fairly and kindly under Master Victor."

"But you could be free to do whatever you want!"

"What if my desire is to serve?"

"Is that…really… okay?"

"I will make no excuses for our thralldom, but for centuries it was the only thing we knew. I don't know what I would do with myself if I left Master's side."

Piper grimaced, remembering her old masters.

"I was like that when I ran away. I felt so lost."

"Then you found your friends, yes?"

"They took care of me. I owe them a lot! Especially Captain Vic."

"Then we are not so different! Because you and I serve that which we cherish. Isn't that right?"

Piper's ears perked up. "Yes!"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Vic was preparing dinner for the staff, but her mind was elsewhere. 

Her father's arrival was nothing short of a massive headache, and evoked memories she had thought forgotten. More specifically, memories of her mother. Though vague, Vic recalled slender, porcelain fingers brushing her hair. 

She also remembered a firm, but melodic voice that often sung her lullabies. She tried to remember them, the tune and cadence of the notes.

"Hmm.. hm— ow! Shit." Vic pulled back her finger and saw blood dripping onto the cutting board.

"Look at that." Her father's voice called out as he descended the stairs. "Shouldn't be handling knives when you're distracted."

She felt a rage building up within her again. "Not like you care."

"Of course, I care."

"This is the servant's quarters. Get out."

"I heard a familiar humming. Thought I'd come down to check it out."

"You're hearing things."

"No, no. Your pitch is off. It goes something like this… humm.. hmm."

The rage simmered to her eyes. Her heart felt ten times heavier hearing the melody. It was exactly as Vic had remembered. She felt disgusted. The warm memories of her mother's song was being desecrated by the one who caused this grief to begin with.

"Shut.. up… SHUT UP!" Vic remembered her mother's silver hair in that moment, her skin pale from sickness and not from a porcelain complexion.

"Victoria?"

Vic couldn't stand being in the same room as her father and ran.

"Vic?" Taisha and Deena were just coming downstairs to see her take flight. "Deena, after her!"

"Right!"

The succubus turned her glaring eyes at the Demon King. "What is wrong with you? Why are you always antagonizing her? Couldn't you have just spent the night in your room until your departure?"

Victor was bereft of his usual jubilant demeanor. His eyes were cast down to the speck of blood on the chopping board.

"Because it has to be done."

"What? Being contemptible and insensitive?"

"Our demonic heritage. You've seen how she bottles up her emotions."

"...Of course, I know. I know her better than anyone."

The Demon King couldn't help but smile in response. "Then you should know it isn't enough to just have a succubus ease her suffering. The demon blood in her needs an outlet. A catharsis of emotion. Rage, love, accomplishment."

"So you chose to evoke rage. Why not love?"

"That was Meredith— her mother's duty."

 "...What happened to her?"

He smirked, "She hasn't told you? Is your friendship with my Victoria so uncertain that you have to come to her father for answers?"

Taisha bit her lip just as Deena and Piper comes running downstairs panting. "I'm sorry! I lost her. I last saw her running north, but she was so fast…"

"Look again. I'll search from the skies, and you—"

"No need. I'll look for her."

"We can't possibly have a guest take care of our problems."

"I see that the three of you are to Victoria what I could never be. Let this old man do right by her as a father." He said, taking his stride upstairs.

Deena watched him go with worry, "What should we do?"

Taisha waved her hand and scoffed. "...Why didn't you act like one from the start then?"

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Vic ran as far as her legs could take her. By the time she came to her senses, she realized by the thick trees and tall canopy that she must have run north and off the main road.

"Man. I've done it now losing my cool in front of Taisha like that. She'll never let me hear the end of it."

She studied her surroundings. It was pitch black. Much of the moonlight was hidden behind the forest canopy. What few streaks of light escaped nature's ceiling provided little in the way of illuminating the surroundings.

A low fog began to rise, worsening what little visibility there was. As she made her way south, a sharp howl was let loose somewhere in the distance causing her blood to run cold.

"I'm not going to be done in by some wolf…" Vic declared, unsheathing her weapons.

She remembered stories often told by patrons of the Royal Cassun that demons from the last war still roam the north. Though their numbers have since dwindled, the few that remain clung to survival by hunting foolhardy travelers.

Demons. She scowled at the name.

Abhorrent creatures that originated from the underworld. What they lacked in intelligence was made up for in their physical strength and high affinity to magic. 

Vic had only ever saw a demon once when she was a child living with her mother. It had died, slain by a group of soldiers patrolling the main road. She vividly remembered the enormous horns, large enough to gut an orc's body. The many fangs and claws the size of her then small body.

"Grrrrr……."

Vic froze to a low growl bellowing across the forest. She tried to pinpoint its direction but the echoes makes it hard to focus.

Crrchh… crraaacckkk…

Vic spun around to see a gigantic claw grip onto the side of a tree. A towering black and red beast with gnarled horns and bloodshot eyes looked down at her with hunger. The bleeding corpse of a direwolf hung lifeless in the demon's jaws.

"Nnh… No… no way… A demon? Here?!" Vic was petrified with fear. She gripped Rend and Flay so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Weak… consume…" The demon spoke between spouts of blood dripping down its mouth.

A flash of white anger snapped her back to her senses. 

"I'll show you weak… Legion!"

Vic raised her weapons into the air and channeled the dormant mana inside her, but…

Nothing happened.

"...What…?"

A massive fist sends her crashing into a tree. 

"K-kah..! Ack…why?!"

Her power did not respond. She couldn't move either.

"Not yet…"

Vic struggled to her feet, but her legs were trembling too much to run. She looked up to see three bloody claws reaching out to her. Her eyes trailed to the demon's mouth. The wolf's corpse was gone, and she would be next to take its place.

"Okay…" She raised her swords and braced for a fight.

"I've gotcha, little one."

A flash of light bisected the demon from head to navel, splitting it into two bloody halves. Her father stood in its place propping the greatsword against his shoulders.

"Da...d…"

"Oh!" Victor caught his daughter as she lost consciousness. He turned around to face the mess he had just left and frowned. "If they've made it this far south, then we're running out of time…"

The Demon King carried his daughter back to the Royal Cassun, at which point Deena and Piper took over to administer healing.

Taisha followed Victor to his room.

"What? More nagging?"

"It was a demon, wasn't it?"

Victor didn't answer. Instead, he uncorked a bottle of wine and drank from its mouth.

"I want to ask about my sister."

"Which one?"

Taisha sighed. "The wingless one..."

"I'm giving her asylum in Orcus right now. The Republic of Darcie can't get to her."

"Thank you. Is there anything else I can offer you, my lord? More wine? Music?" Taisha began to undress, "Or perhaps—"

Victor put his hand up, "I'll have to stop you right there. I'm old and tired. Besides, it would be unbecoming of a father to disrupt his daughter's healthy relationship."

Taisha's eyes widened, "I…how did—"

"To be honest, I was hoping she had a man in her life. I can't possibly see grandchildren like this! Anyway, what really matters is that Victoria's happy. Right?" 

"Yes, my lord. Thank you."

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

The next morning, the girls were seeing Victor and Theradis off.

"It's too bad I could only stay for one night! The hot spring really perked me right up to get back to work, though."

"Are you sure you don't want me sending a letter ahead of you?"

"And ruin the fun? It will be a hilarious surprise when I arrive!"

"The Demon King of Orcus suddenly showing up in the capital of Cassun. The king ain't gonna be happy about that. Ahaha!"

"See, the dragon girl gets it!"

"When you get there, you should probably ask for Princess Aurora and tell her Vic said hi."

"You're cozying up to Cassun royalty? I'm starting to doubt you girls are simple hot spring staff."

"Ah… Well, you know. We get all sorts of patronage."

"Hmm... " Victor raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, Theradis and I should get going."

"See ya! Come back with more gold bars next time!"

"Bye, Mr. Theradis! Mr. Victor!"

"Wait!" Vic caught up to them as they mounted the carriage.

"What's this? Is daddy going to get a hug??"

"No, shut up!" Vic took a few deep breaths. "Thanks...dad."

"I need to hear it again."

"No. Don't think I've forgiven you yet."

"I understand."

"I also wanted to ask how you control it. Our demonic heritage."

"I don't. There hasn't been a single day where I don't struggle against it. My father, your grandfather, gave into it and he nearly destroyed our world."

"What do I do?"

Victor rubbed his chin trying to come up with an answer. He gazed past Victoria and at her friends who were waiting for her.

"What you've always been doing. You'll be fine."

He patted his daughter on the head and closed the carriage doors. Theradis tugged on the dreadsteads' reins and set off southwards.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Chapter 3 - The Hot Springs Brigade vs Isekai Protagonist! Preview…

 

Somewhere on Earth, in the bustling city of Akihabara, Japan…

Eighteen year old Itsuki Minato was dancing with joy having been the first to pick up the most anticipated eroge of the year, My Little Sister and I were Transported to Another World and Became Lovers!

"Kuuuuh! I can't wait to get home and play this."

Itsuki lifted the disc box into the sky to admire the cover art.

"This is some high quality—"

BEEP! BEEP! SCCRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH…

He felt his entire body go numb in an instant. Blood coated his eyes and pooled around him.

Eh…? Did I just… am I going to…

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Itsuki opened his eyes to see nothing but a sea of darkness around him.

"You poor child." A voice rang out to him. 

"Hey! Where am I? What happened?!"

"You have died."

"...are you...serious?"

"As we speak, your body has been found clutching the limited edition copy of My Little Sister and I were Transported to Another World and Became Lovers!"

"No…"

"Now everyone, including the local news station will know you died a virgin otaku."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO— wait… If I'm here talking to you then…"

"That's right. I, the goddess of this realm, shall grant you a second life in another world."

"AWWW YES!"

Itsuki's body began to glow bright.

"Now, go forth into this world and live anew. Slay the demon lord and become a hero!"